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Crunching the numbers
- More than 2,000 properties subsidized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development require annual inspections, but the agency hasn’t examined them in the last 12 months, a Streetlight data analysis found. Some of the apartments haven’t been inspected in a decade or longer, according to HUD data. For instance, Church Manor Apartments in Smithfield, Virginia was last inspected in 2003, when it scored 23 points.
- Renters are reporting more fees tacked on their leases, sometimes adding hundreds of dollars to monthly rent without a benefit to consumers. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution dug into how these fees are making rentals less affordable.
- About 400 local or state governments have curfew laws on the books, according to the National Youth Rights Association.
Might I recommend
- I’m a big fan of Brittany Luse and have loved her move to the NPR show “It’s Been a Minute.” One of my favorite recent episodes asks if children are a marginalized group and what could give them more autonomy. “For some,” Luse says, “thinking about kids in this way may feel strange. And yet many kids experience structural and personal harm without any power to change it. Children make up almost a third of all people in the US living in poverty. One in 8 children in the US struggles with hunger, and 1 in 4 experiences child abuse or neglect. Even children from more well-resourced families can still experience harm from parents, caregivers, teachers or coaches who are put in charge of their care.”
- Poynter examined how the affordable housing shortage is hampering recruitment in the journalism industry, especially for unpaid internships. The Vineyard Gazette in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, where homes are famously pricey, found a workaround: providing housing to a staffer and summer interns. (Go deeper: Last year, Carrington J. Tatum wrote about his decision to leave journalism due to a rent hike and student loan debt.)
- My new favorite podcast is Feeling Seen, a show where host Jordan Crucchiola speaks with actors, filmmakers and other artist-types about films or TV shows that make them feel seen. The podcast makes me feel seen, too, especially this episode about shrill try-hard Tracy Flick, played by Reese Witherspoon in the 1999 movie “Election.”
New from Streetlight
- HUD hasn’t inspected some subsidized properties for a decade or longer, according to a Streetlight data analysis. Since 2019, at least six renters have died and seven were injured due to safety issues like gas leaks in properties owned by a company named Millennia. Renters, housing attorneys and other advocates said HUD’s inspection system meant to ensure federally-subsidized homes are livable has failed to keep renters safe. HUD planned to eliminate its inspection backlog by the end of March, but we found 1 in 10 public housing properties and almost a quarter of privately-owned multifamily properties haven’t been examined within the past three years, the minimum inspection requirement. (Read our investigation.)
- In the past year, cities like Oklahoma City, Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia have created new youth curfews, expanded old ones or resumed enforcement of dormant curfews. I wrote about how curfews can target unsheltered kids and youth who are out late to avoid unsafe situations at home.
- Housing or treatment first? A fight over this shelter in Norman, Oklahoma highlights the complexity of reducing homelessness.
Thank you for reading! You can reach me here at bryant@streetlightnews.org and 405-990-0988.
– Mollie Bryant
Founder and editor, Streetlight
